What to sow in January in the UK
January is when the seed tin comes out. The RHS suggests sowing broad beans in pots in mild areas, early lettuces, summer cabbages and cauliflowers, spinach, salad onions and turnips indoors, and onion seed in a heated propagator. BBC Gardeners’ World adds chillies and aubergines, which need a long season. Outdoors, it’s mostly harvesting, pruning and getting the soil ready.
Sowing dates are typical UK guidance, not promises. Your soil, your region and this year’s weather matter more than the calendar, so check your seed packet too.
Sow indoors
Early crops from the RHS list
The RHS suggests sowing seed indoors in January for early crops such as lettuces, summer brassicas (cabbages and cauliflowers, for example), spinach, salad onions and turnips, using a peat-free seed compost. It also suggests sowing onion seed in a heated propagator (RHS: jobs to do in January).
For onions, Gardeners’ World says to sow into modules of moist seed compost, ideally one seed per module (two or three is fine, you’ll just get smaller onions), and keep them at 10 to 16°C in a heated propagator or on a warm windowsill. Harden them off in spring before planting 5 to 10cm apart in rows 25 to 30cm apart (Gardeners’ World: what to plant in January). The RHS adds that the more leaves the plants have by late spring, the better the bulb (RHS: onions).
Chillies and aubergines
Gardeners’ World says sowing tropical crops like chillies and aubergines as early as January makes a good crop more likely. Its method: sow thinly in small pots, cover with vermiculite, and keep in a heated propagator at 21°C, turning it down to 16 to 18°C once they’ve germinated. A grow light helps stop leggy seedlings (Gardeners’ World). Low light and warm rooms can make seedlings weak and prone to damping off, so clean everything that touches the seeds. If you don’t have a propagator, the RHS February page says tomato, chilli, cucumber and aubergine seed can be sown from mid-February for greenhouse growing (RHS: February jobs), and there’s no shame in waiting.
Sow under cover
Broad beans in pots
The RHS suggests sowing broad beans in pots in mild areas, in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse (RHS). Gardeners’ World agrees, and says to hold off until March if you’re not in a mild area. They’ll germinate within three weeks without heat; protect them from mice (Gardeners’ World).
Plant out
- Bare-root fruit. The RHS says to plant bare-root trees and bushes as long as the soil isn’t frozen (RHS).
- Strawberries under cloches. Gardeners’ World suggests planting strawberry runners and bare-root plants under cloches for an earlier crop, typically from May, 30cm apart (Gardeners’ World).
- Raspberry canes, in soil that isn’t frozen or waterlogged, at the same depth they grew before, says Gardeners’ World (Gardeners’ World).
What can wait
Most outdoor sowing can wait. The RHS February page says that only if you have light, sandy soil and live in a mild part of the UK should you sow things like broad beans, carrots, parsnips, early beetroot, salad onions, lettuces, radish, spinach and summer cabbages outside in February; otherwise it’s best to wait until the soil has begun to warm up in March or April (RHS: February jobs). So if January feels like it’s all windowsills and propagators, that’s because it is. The patience pays off when the soil is actually warm enough to do something with the seed.
Harvest
- Brussels sprouts. The RHS suggests picking the biggest sprouts from low down the stalk first (RHS).
- Leeks. Late varieties can stay in the ground through winter into spring and be lifted as needed (RHS: leeks).
- Parsnips, celeriac and kale. Parsnips can be left in the ground and harvested as required; celeriac can be harvested until March; kale crops through to spring (RHS: parsnips; RHS: celeriac; RHS: kale).
- Forced chicory. The RHS January page suggests forcing chicory for plump leafy heads.
Other January jobs
- Winter prune apples, pears, quinces and medlars, and prune currants and gooseberries. Autumn raspberries can be pruned now or in February.
- Prepare seed beds and cover them with a cold frame, cloches or fleece to warm the soil before sowing.
- Improve heavy soil by adding organic matter. On wet soil, work from a plank rather than treading on the bed.
- Save egg boxes for chitting potatoes next month, and source seed potatoes from a reputable supplier.
- Plan a crop rotation so the same crops aren’t in the same beds year after year.
- Don’t home compost diseased material, such as blight-infected potatoes or onions with white rot.
All from the RHS January page (RHS: jobs to do in January). Our guide to allotment jobs in winter covers the season as a whole.
Start the year’s log
January is a good time to start a fresh record of the plot. Fork Handles, which I made for my own allotment, lets you log the crop, variety, bed, amount, date and notes, and reminds you about a month and then a week before each crop should be ready. It’s free on the App Store, with one optional one-off purchase.
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Questions
What vegetables can I sow in January?
The RHS suggests sowing lettuces, summer cabbages and cauliflowers, spinach, salad onions and turnips indoors, onion seed in a heated propagator, and broad beans in pots in mild areas. Gardeners’ World adds chillies and aubergines in a heated propagator.
Is January too early to sow chillies?
Gardeners’ World says sowing chillies as early as January makes a good crop more likely, using a heated propagator at 21°C and ideally a grow light. Without that kit, the RHS says chillies can be sown from mid-February.
Can I sow broad beans in January?
In mild areas, sow them in pots in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse, says the RHS. Gardeners’ World suggests waiting until March if you’re not in a mild area.
What should I do on the allotment in January?
The RHS suggests winter pruning apples, pears, currants and gooseberries, warming seed beds under cloches, adding organic matter to heavy soil, sourcing seed potatoes and planning a crop rotation.